SERMON

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Of the nature of faith in general.

HEB. xi. 6.

But without faith it is impossible to please God.

Efore I come to the words themselves, in orders to our better understanding of them, we will CҫXIX. take into confideration the design of this epistle, that The hrst so we may see more clearly the relation that these fermon on words have to the foregoing difcourse. Who the penman of this epifstle was I shall not tell you, because I do not know, nor is it much material to know it; but whoever wrote it, he had this very good defign in the writing of it, to perfuade the Jews to hold fast the profession of the gospel, notwithstanding all the fufferings and perfecutions it exposed them to. And to this purpose he shews at large, what prerogatives the gospel hath above the legal adminiftration. "The law was given by the disposition of an"gels, in the hand of a mediator," that is, Mofes : but the gofpel is revealed to us by the Son of God; a person not only above Mofes, who was a mere man ; but above angels. The gospel is the substance and reality of the types and ceremonies, and the very good things themselves, that were obfcurely represented by those shadows. It is a teftament established

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SER M. to attain it's end, and therefore shall never stand in need of any farther change or alteration. These are the heads of those arguments which the author of this epistle does largely difcourse upon.

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Now the gospel having in these respects the advantage of the legal dispensation, the apostle doth all along in this epistle earnestly exhort the Jews to a constant profession and stedfast belief of the gospel, and not to turn back from chriftianity to judaifm, which was a far less perfect institution. Ch. ii. 1. "fore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the " things which we have heard, left at any time we " should let them lip, παραῤῥυῶμεν, lest we should " fall away," so the word may be rendered. And ch. iii. 12. "Take heed, brethren, left there be in

any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing "from the living God." And ch. iv. 1. “Let us "therefore fear, left a promife being left us of en"tring into his rest, any of you should feem to come "short of it." And ch. x. 23. "Let us hold fast the " profession of our faith without wavering."

After which he declares the danger of apostasy, or falling off from the belief and profeffion of the gofpel which they had entertained: v. 26. "for if we fin "wilfully after we have received the knowledge of "the truth, there remaineth no more facrifice for fin." He tells them they would be shrewdly tempted to apoftafy by the reproaches, afflictions and perfecutions that they would meet withal; but the promises of the gofpel were fufficient to support and bear up good men under these, if they were but firmly perfuaded of the truth of them; and though they did not for the present receive the things promised, yet a firm belief of them would carry them through all fufferings, and make them hold out under them. "The just shall live " by faith." v. 38. And 169 And having mentioned the power of faith, that is, SERM. of a confident perfuafion of the truth and reality of CCXIX. the promises of the gospel to support men under sufferings, he gives an account how faith uses to have this influence, ver. 1. " faith is the substance of things " hoped for," so we render the word ὑπόφασις: but it might be much better rendered, both according to the frequent use of it in the septuagint, and in the new teftament, " a confidence of things hoped " for," that is, a confident expectation of things

☐ hoped for, or a firm perfuafion that our hopes will not be frustrated. And as this is more agreeable to the scope and design of the apostle, so likewise to the common acceptation of this word in the new testament, for which I will appeal to two places. 2 Cor. ix. 4. "That we be not put to shame in this confi"dence of boasting,” ἐν τῇ ὑποφάσει ταύτῃ. The other text is in this epift. ch. iii. 14. "that we hold " fast the beginning of our confidence, τὴν ἀρχὴν ὑποτάσεως, which is of the very same sense with wapῥησία, at the 6th ver. "If we hold fast the con“ fidence παρρησίαν, and rejoicing of the hope firm " unto the end. And the evidence of things not feen, “ ἔλεγχο, the conviction," as being convinced, or perfuaded of the truth of those things, for which we have no ocular or sensible demonstration. Now if faith in the promises of the gospel do perfuade us and give us fatisfaction that we shall receive a reward, which will outweigh and countervail our present sufferings, then faith is likely to support us under fufferings.

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And that this is no strange thing which the apostle speaks of faith, he shews that in all ages faith hath been the principle of all holy and heroick actions. By it the elders obtained a good report; it is that

SERM. which made the holy men of the old testament so CCXIX. famous; and this he proves throughout this chap

ter, by a large induction of particular instances, in which we fee the power of faith, the wonderful effects of it, and the mighty works it hath done in the world.

But because he faid before that "faith is the evi"dence," or conviction " of things not seen," as well as "a confident expectation of things hoped for," before he comes to instance in the effects of faith upon particular persons in the old teftament, he proves it to be " the evidence of things not seen," that is, being convinced and perfuaded of things of which we have no sensible and ocular demonstration, ver. 3. "Through faith we understood that the worlds were " framed by the word of God, so that the things " which are seen, were not made of things which do

appear;" that is, though we were not present at the making of the world, nor did see it framed; yet we are fatisfied, and do believe that it was made by the powerful word of God, and that all those things which we fee were not produced out of things which do now appear, but either immediately out of nothing, or a dark confused chaos.

And having thus proved that we may be perfuaded of things we do not fee, of things past, or future, he comes to the particular instances of the holy men of the old teftament, in whom the power of faith did appear. He begins with Abel, who being perfuaded of the being of God, and the perfection and excellency of the divine nature, and consequently that he was worthy to be served with the best, by virtue of this faith, "offered up to God a more ex"cellent facrifice than Cain." The second instance is in Enoch, who being perfuaded of the being of GOD, and of his goodness to reward them that ferve him,

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was a righteous man, and studious to please GoD; SERM. and as a reward of this faith and obedience, " GOD " translated him, that he should not fee death;"

4upon which the apostle assumes, ver. 6. " but with" out faith, it is impossible to please God." As if he had faid, unless a man do believe, and be perfuaded of fome principles, it is impossible any man should be religious, or endeavour to do any thing that is pleasing or acceptable to God: for religion, and the service of God, and an endeavour to please him, do suppose at least that I believe and am persuaded of these two things, of the being, and of the goodness of God, that there is such a being as I serve and seek to please, and that his goodness is such, that it will not be in vain to serve him, he will not let me be a loser by it.

And that here by pleasing, we are to understand in general the performing any action of religion, is evident from the equivalent terms which are used in the next words, "for he that cometh to GOD, must "believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them " that feek him;" where " coming to God," and " seeking of him," are of the fame importance with pleasing him. Now to come to God, and seek him, in scripture phrase signify the sum of religion, it being usual in the language of scripture, to express the whole of religion by any eminent principle, or part, or effect of it; as by the knowledge, remembrance, or fear of God in the old testament; by the love of him, and faith in him, in the new, by coming to him, seeking him, calling upon his name, and pleafing of him.

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Now that " coming to God," and "seeking him," are of the fame importance here with pleasing of " him," will be clear to any that consider the apostle's

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